Eagles, Boulders and Arrows
As we explore eagle pose this month, consider what birds need to fly. Not in the scientific wings speed, bone density way, but in a more abstract way- yes like a yogi, lol. A bird does not hold on to its perch and attempt to fly.
Humans often have a harder time letting go. Our bodies are physically in one place, yet our minds linger in the past or in a perceived future. One of my favorite Buddhist parables describes this perfectly. One day a group of monks go for a walk—one wise, older monk and a few younger disciples. The older monk points to a large boulder and asks his disciples, “Is that boulder heavy?” The younger monks reply, “Of course, that boulder is heavy!” With a sly smile, the older monk says, “Not if you don’t pick it up.” The boulder is a metaphor for worries. Big, heavy, hard to lift and even harder to carry. Still, we pick up the boulder and carry it around with us all day, all week, etc. Worrying is exhausting yet we humans often cling to it.
Mindfulness practices teach us awareness, so we can recognize when we are carrying this weight around unnecessarily, helping us to let it go and let it be. If you are aware of something, only then can you change it. Let go of those burdens and your heart will feel like a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders. You feel much freer. Almost weightless like an eagle floating on the wind, light and free, we too could let go and soar toward our highest potential.
How easy is this? I’m not a fan of birds and letting go has never been my strong suit. People, the past, who I was, who I wasn’t, you name it I clung to it. I clung to friendships I had long since outgrown, and younger days I wanted to relive. What would I do different? What would I do the same? Why did I do what I did? Why didn’t I do what I didn’t? I can be the queen of the second arrow. The second arrow is a Buddhist philosophy. It teaches about handling suffering more skillfully. The Buddhists say any time we suffer misfortune, two arrows fly our way. Being struck by the first arrow is painful. Being struck by a second arrow is even more painful. “In life, we can’t always control the first arrow. However, the second arrow is our reaction to the first. The second arrow is optional. The second arrow represents our reaction to the event. It’s the way we choose to respond emotionally.” We as humans, mentally pour salt in the wound by letting the mind train pull us down the rabbit hole to future ville and/or memory town, thus picking up the boulder and carrying around worry.
For me, the yoga mat acts like a mirror, it reflects what is happening in my tiny corner of the world and what comes up for me informs my inner landscape. Do you want to try again? Why or why not? How much effort can you give? When fear comes up what does it feel like? A failure? A challenge? Have I been getting enough rest? Eating healthy? Sleeping? Not sleeping? The data our mind yoga collects on the mat helps us off the mat just as much if not more so.
Eagle pose requires us to set down the boulder, release attachment and experience the moment. The wrapped legs challenge both balance and focus. The wrapped arms dare us to broaden our scope of vision. To see things with a broader, more panoramic lens like an eagle high in the sky. Neither looking forward or backward, we exist in the present, ultimately where the past and future unite. Sometimes we fall and sometimes we fly. What’s most important is do we get back up and try again?